Method and apparatus of controlling a sliding roof

• US 6,408,238 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lamm, Hubert, Haderer, Guenter
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/486,035
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 324/468, 324/469, 324/283, 49/26, 49/28
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0573 power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical

Abstract

A method of controlling a sliding roof, where braking of a vehicle is detected by a controller of the sliding roof device, and the pinch protection, i.e., the closing force limiter, is corrected so that faulty reversal of the sliding roof is suppressed when the vehicle is decelerating and the roof is being closed at the same time.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a sliding roof disposed on a motor vehicle and including a controller, a reversible drive motor that provides a pinch protection and is controlled by the controller, and a detection arrangement for detecting at least one of a vehicle speed and a vehicle acceleration, comprising the steps of:

causing the detection arrangement to deliver signals to the controller;

causing the controller to sense a braking of the vehicle on the basis of the delivered signals; and

causing the controller to correct the pinch protection on the basis of the delivered signals.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the braking corresponds to a full braking.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

determines from the delivered signals an acceleration value at least in the braking,

compares the acceleration value with at least one limit value, and

corrects the pinch protection on reaching the limit value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the delivered signals are sent to the controller in cycles,

the delivered signals correspond to speed values of the vehicle,

a predetermined number of the speed values is stored temporarily in a ring memory of the controller, and

an electronic analyzer of the controller forms acceleration values from differences of respective speed values.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

the predetermined number is greater than three and less than six.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

causing a sensor to detect at least one load-dependent characteristic quantity;

sending the at least one load-dependent characteristic quantity to the controller;

comparing the at least one load-dependent characteristic quantity with a first threshold value in the controller;

detecting a pinch situation as a function of a result of the comparison;

triggering the pinch protection; and

causing the controller to set a second, corrected threshold value for a second, corrected pinch protection when the vehicle is braked.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein:

the pinch protection corresponds to a reversing of the motor.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least one load-dependent characteristic quantity is one of a motor current, a motor rotational speed, a torque, displacement pulses, and a quantity derived from the motor current, the motor rotational speed, the torque, and the displacement pulses.

9. A device for controlling a sliding roof disposed on a motor vehicle and including a controller, a reversible drive motor that provides a pinch protection and is controlled by the controller, and a detection arrangement including a tachometer for detecting at least one of a vehicle speed and a vehicle acceleration, comprising:

an arrangement for causing the detecting arrangement to deliver signals to the controller;

an arrangement for causing the controller to sense a braking of the vehicle on the basis of the delivered signals; and

an arrangement for causing the controller to correct the pinch protection on the basis of the delivered signals.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the controller includes:

a ring memory for storing the delivered signals, and

an electronic analyzer for calculating the acceleration from the delivered signals.